Kingston man finds his calling as an upholsterer

In his teenage years, Damion Madden admits that he was a truant, and said that life in his gritty community of Spanglers in central Kingston, as he describes it, was not easy in the single-parent household headed by his mother, Evette Gordon.

"You know how ghetto life stay, see and blind, hear and deaf. That was my life and from a tender age me tell myself me affi be my own boss so me can get out of it," Madden told the news team, denouncing the cycle of crime and violence that has plagued the community. It was this desire to change his life that led Madden to accept the invitation of his friend to work at the now defunct Sofa Plus store in downtown Kingston when he was 13. Now more than a decade later, he operates his own upholstering workshop on King Street, providing employment for two men and an apprentice. Madden said that he fell in love with upholstering from day one.

"The first day me start on a Wednesday, and me affi strip down a chair. The first thing dat me do and me love it from that time," he said. The following months saw him learning how to install new springs in chairs or replacing old sponges, the key process in upholstery. At his shop he dedicates hours to the refurbishing and construction of beds, bed heads, couches and hassocks. The Norman Gardens Primary and Junior High graduate detailed the delicate process involved in creating eye-catching household furniture using sponge, various types of material, a compressor and a staple gun. He delegates all the tasks to his employees, from building frames to purchasing materials. He cuts and sews the fabric used in rewrapping the furniture.

"I don't like the work, I love it. Is a work weh me can come work clean, and go home clean same way. Me nuh like the dirt thing so I couldn't work on a construction site. I love when I finish a job and me can look pon it and say 'Yea, a me do dis,'" he said as his grin widened.

Madden has set his sights on converting his workshop into a factory, supplying furniture to local stores and exporting internationally. But he noted that one of his obstacles is the reported increase in sponge prices. The 25-year-old explained that because the material is imported, prices are expected to skyrocket during the year.

Despite getting his training through on-the-job experience, he is interested in getting proper certification. He urged young individuals to learn a skill in addition to the salary worked at a traditional job.